Thank you for caring enough to contact Vision Hills Sanctuary and making the effort to
secure your pet's future. Due to the overwhelming number of
unwanted animals surrendered to local shelters, we are committed
to rescuing and fostering those animals who risk being
euthanized. Consequently, our foster homes are full at this time.

Although Vision Hills is unable to take your pet directly into foster
care, we hope to make you aware of what your options are with regards to
finding a loving and caring home for your pet.

Option 1: Keep your pet

Vision Hills and other rescue groups are committed to providing the
necessary information to pet
owners so that they can provide the very best care for their pet.
There are many reasons why individuals are not able to keep their
pets. If you feel your pet's behavior is the problem, please let us
know. Often, with a little information or advice from experienced pet
owners, the problem(s) can be alleviated or overcome altogether. Many
behavioral problems are corrected with spaying or neutering.
Additionally, we can provide you with a wide range of referrals
depending on what your specific question or problem may be.

Option 2: Be your own foster

Continue to care for your pet until you find the right home via
advertising (see information below).

Option 3: Surrender your pet to a shelter

While many people have differing opinions on this option, it remains
a viable one for many others. The Town Lake Animal Shelter in Austin
(1156 W. Cesar Chavez, 972-4738) will accept any animal, the Humane
Society of Williamson County (10930 Crystal Falls Parkway, Leander, 260-3602) will accept dogs and cats, the
Austin SPCA (124 W. Anderson Lane, 646-7387) may accept animals
only by appointment.
Please keep in mind that while every rescue group does its very best to
rescue all animals, every animal
surrendered to a shelter does risk being euthanized. It is not our
intent to mislead or misinform you on the realities of pet
overpopulation. Simply stated, there are many more wonderful animals
than there are loving, caring, permanent homes.

Please do not release your pet to the wild to suffer injury,
starvation, or death. Domestic animals do not have the same instincts as wild
animals. We receive calls all the time from individuals who have
found, stray, injured, or malnourished animals.

Preparing the pet for his/her new home

The following is information which we feel is necessary to find your
pet a good home and which also closely follows our organization's
policies regarding adoptions. There are two major steps to finding homes
for animals. The first is to prepare your pet for adoption. The
second is to advertise and screen callers for suitability.

If you have not already made them, these are the preparations:

Spaying/Neutering for health and behavior
reasons
It improves the chance of being adopted as an indoor companion (so
that your pet will enjoy a life that is safe and social). Unneutered
animals tend to "mark territory" and are prone to cancer. It also
insures that no more unwanted animals will be produced. Most
veterinarians can spay/neuter dogs and cats; these veterinary
clinics routinely spay/neuter rabbits and are very experienced: White Rock Veterinary Hospital, 2700 W. Pecan St., Pflugerville,
670-5400, and Westgate Pet and Bird Hospital, 4601 S.
Lamar, 892-4463.

Litterbox training (for cats and
rabbits)/Housebreaking (for dogs)
If you need information on how to housebreak a dog, there are a
number of good books, videos and websites on how to accomplish this.
Cats prefer their litterbox is a semi-private location, and will use
it unless their are health or behavioral issues. For rabbit
litterbox training, click
here.

Socializing
Spend some social time with your pet, petting, sitting on the
floor. Being used to people will make your pet more appealing.

Know your pet
Understand your pet's health status and personality so that you
can tell an interested person what to expect.

Advertising and Screening Callers

Place ads in local newspapers such as the Austin American-Statesman
(445-4000 or
online)
in category Pets and Livestock or the the
Austin Chronicle (454-5767 or
online). Flyers can be placed on veterinary, pet supply, supermarket or
restaurant bulletin boards. You can also post on Craigslist for
free in the Pets category.

State your pet's strong points: spayed/neutered, house
trained, friendly, good with children, etc.

Requesting a $25 or more fee in the ad excludes callers wanting
a free animal for the wrong reasons (examples: research,
backyard breeding). People willing to commit to giving a pet a home
will readily pay a fee. Consider offering your animal and
his/her food, leashes, litterboxes, cage, etc. as a "package deal."

To screen people who answer your ad, ask the caller questions
about their previous pets (what happened to them), current pets, why
(s)he has decided to get a pet, and the type of living arrangement
the caller would provide. Explain that you are asking questions
because you want the person and the animal to be happy.

Say no if you feel the home is not suitable - make an excuse.
Politely tell the caller that your pet doesn't do well with
children (if your children became uninterested in the pet, tell
the caller why), isn't used to being outside, is scared of dogs,
etc.

It is possible to find a good home for your pet, but it takes
time, commitment, and some expense. Should you find a home for your
pet, please pass on the above-mentioned care and information to the
animal's new owner so that (s)he will have some basic information. Also, we would
appreciate your referring any additional callers to us or other rescue
groups. There are many
more wonderful animals seeking homes. We hope you find this information
useful. Good luck placing your pet.